Thelonious Monk was innovative even in his style of clothing.
Overview
Thelonious Sphere Monk is one of the most notable names in Jazz and especially in the area of Jazz Piano. He achieved the pinnacle of success even during a time in which African-Americans were not allowed fundamental civil liberties and denied adequate education. Monk made his mark on Jazz with his unique style of playing that incorporated bebop and stride and other styles of jazz; a style his wife, Nellie, called "Melodious Thunk." Popular compositions like "Round Midnight", "Straight, No Chaser", "Epistrophy", and "Blue Monk" cemented Monk's place in history and contributed toward a new, progressive Jazz era.
Early Life
Thelonious Sphere Monk was born on October 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. His mother and father were Thelonious and Barbara Monk, who also had to other children: an older sister Marian, and a younger brother Thomas. Monk was essentially raised a New Yorker because at the age of five, the family moved to Manhattan. There, unbeknownst to Monk, his unique piano style was bred and flourished. Thelonious Monk never graduated from Stuyvesant High School as he dropped out to start work, a sign of the times for most African-Americans.
Monk's piano career started at age nine, although not with formal training. His sister was the one to get piano lessons but Monk, being the maverick he was soon well known for, eavesdropped on their sessions and picked up basic skills on the piano. Monk then basically taught himself the ropes of the piano, although eventually he too had some formal lessons. Monk found work in his teens as a church organist and toured with them but then left to play and record jazz.
In his late teens, Monk found work at Minton's Playhouse being the house pianist and playing for Jerry Newman. This was crucial to the ripening of Monk's Jazz style and networking to other bebop greats at the time such as Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke, and Charlie Parker.
Thelonious Monk's interactions in his early life helped prepare him to be the innovator he was soon to become. His self-teaching brought an unheard unique style to the playing field and his job at Minton's Playhouse gained him the exposure he needed. The job allowed Monk to network and play under the big names in bebop at the time which polished his skills and style for him to eventually have his own ensemble.
A Different Take on Jazz
A young Thelonious Monk
Monk stated that his musical influences included Duke Ellington, James P. Johnson, and some other early stride pianists. They allowed him the base to work with to build something new; and thats just what Thelonious Monk did. In 1944, Monk made his first recordings with the Coleman Hawkins Quartet - Coleman Hawkins being one of the first musicians to really promote Monk. The album allowed Monk to showcase his unique talent for improvisation as he used complex melodies and well placed and prevalent dissonance. That same year, Thelonious married his wife Nellie and they had one son, T.S. Monk - the same name as his father.
However, things were not all well and good after that. Monk's career almost came to a screeching halt when police searched a car inhabited by him and his friend Bud Powell and found drugs within. The drugs were Powell's, but Monk refused to testify against him. Monk was stripped of his New York City Cabaret Card, which allowed him to play his music within any New York venue where liquor was served. Monk accepted and for the next few years composed and wrote music while playing at a few gigs out of town.
Monk's most under appreciated works came in the middle of his career during his stay with Riverside Records, who he signed with at about the time he got his Cabaret Card back. But his greatest works came under the label of Columbia, a major label. At this time, Thelonious Monk is a very highly promoted jazz artist and has developed his own style to the point that anyone could tell if it was him by just listening. With his most famous works - "Round Midnight", "Epistrophy", "Straight, No Chaser", "Blue Monk", and "Well, you Needn't" - Monk changed the scope and outlook of jazz in the 20th Century. He toured all over the America and the world with top musicians like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins.
Later Life
Most likely explaining his "unique" taste for dissonance and awkward phrasing and syncopation, Thelonious Monk was diagnosed with mental illness. He died after repeated stays in a mental institution and after being hospitalized on several occasions due to an unspecified mental illness prevalent in the 1960's. However, Monk did not die of his illness, he died of a stroke on February 17, 1982 at the age of 64. He left behind a legacy of the good times in Jazz. He signified this by getting up and dancing in a clockwise motion during songs when the music spoke to him. However he also created a legacy of progressive Jazz, not just the "Same old, Same old", as one writer put it. His biography came in the form of a documentary titled "Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser" that depicted the life and times of the great Thelonious Monk. Monk was an inspiration to many upcoming Jazz artists including the great Wynton Marsailis and continues to be a role model to the present and will be to future generations as his works gain more and more audience.
References
Fitterling, Thomas. Thelonious Monk: His Life and Music (Jazz from Berkeley Hills). London: Berkeley Hills Books, 1997.
Gourse, Leslie. Straight, No Chaser: The Life And Genius Of Thelonious Monk. Chicago: Schirmer Trade Books, 1998.
Overview
Thelonious Sphere Monk is one of the most notable names in Jazz and especially in the area of Jazz Piano. He achieved the pinnacle of success even during a time in which African-Americans were not allowed fundamental civil liberties and denied adequate education. Monk made his mark on Jazz with his unique style of playing that incorporated bebop and stride and other styles of jazz; a style his wife, Nellie, called "Melodious Thunk." Popular compositions like "Round Midnight", "Straight, No Chaser", "Epistrophy", and "Blue Monk" cemented Monk's place in history and contributed toward a new, progressive Jazz era.
Early Life
Thelonious Sphere Monk was born on October 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. His mother and father were Thelonious and Barbara Monk, who also had to other children: an older sister Marian, and a younger brother Thomas. Monk was essentially raised a New Yorker because at the age of five, the family moved to Manhattan. There, unbeknownst to Monk, his unique piano style was bred and flourished. Thelonious Monk never graduated from Stuyvesant High School as he dropped out to start work, a sign of the times for most African-Americans.
Monk's piano career started at age nine, although not with formal training. His sister was the one to get piano lessons but Monk, being the maverick he was soon well known for, eavesdropped on their sessions and picked up basic skills on the piano. Monk then basically taught himself the ropes of the piano, although eventually he too had some formal lessons. Monk found work in his teens as a church organist and toured with them but then left to play and record jazz.
In his late teens, Monk found work at Minton's Playhouse being the house pianist and playing for Jerry Newman. This was crucial to the ripening of Monk's Jazz style and networking to other bebop greats at the time such as Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke, and Charlie Parker.
Thelonious Monk's interactions in his early life helped prepare him to be the innovator he was soon to become. His self-teaching brought an unheard unique style to the playing field and his job at Minton's Playhouse gained him the exposure he needed. The job allowed Monk to network and play under the big names in bebop at the time which polished his skills and style for him to eventually have his own ensemble.
A Different Take on Jazz
However, things were not all well and good after that. Monk's career almost came to a screeching halt when police searched a car inhabited by him and his friend Bud Powell and found drugs within. The drugs were Powell's, but Monk refused to testify against him. Monk was stripped of his New York City Cabaret Card, which allowed him to play his music within any New York venue where liquor was served. Monk accepted and for the next few years composed and wrote music while playing at a few gigs out of town.
Monk's most under appreciated works came in the middle of his career during his stay with Riverside Records, who he signed with at about the time he got his Cabaret Card back. But his greatest works came under the label of Columbia, a major label. At this time, Thelonious Monk is a very highly promoted jazz artist and has developed his own style to the point that anyone could tell if it was him by just listening. With his most famous works - "Round Midnight", "Epistrophy", "Straight, No Chaser", "Blue Monk", and "Well, you Needn't" - Monk changed the scope and outlook of jazz in the 20th Century. He toured all over the America and the world with top musicians like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins.
Later Life
Most likely explaining his "unique" taste for dissonance and awkward phrasing and syncopation, Thelonious Monk was diagnosed with mental illness. He died after repeated stays in a mental institution and after being hospitalized on several occasions due to an unspecified mental illness prevalent in the 1960's. However, Monk did not die of his illness, he died of a stroke on February 17, 1982 at the age of 64. He left behind a legacy of the good times in Jazz. He signified this by getting up and dancing in a clockwise motion during songs when the music spoke to him. However he also created a legacy of progressive Jazz, not just the "Same old, Same old", as one writer put it. His biography came in the form of a documentary titled "Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser" that depicted the life and times of the great Thelonious Monk. Monk was an inspiration to many upcoming Jazz artists including the great Wynton Marsailis and continues to be a role model to the present and will be to future generations as his works gain more and more audience.
References
Fitterling, Thomas. Thelonious Monk: His Life and Music (Jazz from Berkeley Hills). London: Berkeley Hills Books, 1997.
Gourse, Leslie. Straight, No Chaser: The Life And Genius Of Thelonious Monk. Chicago: Schirmer Trade Books, 1998.
"The Thelonious Monk Website." Howard's Home Page. 22 Feb. 2009 <http://www.howardm.net/tsmonk/tsmonk.php>.
"Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz." Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. 22 Feb. 2009 <http://www.monkinstitute.org>